Long-Hidden 'Pyramid' Found in Indonesia Was Likely an Ancient Temple
An enormous pyramid-like structure in Indonesia that may represent the remains of an ancient temple hid underground for thousands of years.
Scientists presented evidence of the remarkable construction Dec. 12 here at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
Located atop Mount Padang in West Java, the structure is topped by an archaeological site that was discovered in the early 19th century and holds rows of ancient stone pillars. But the sloping "hill" underneath isn't part of the natural, rocky landscape; it was crafted by human hands, scientists discovered. ...
"What is previously seen as just surface building, it's going down — and it's a huge structure," said Andang Bachtiar, an independent geologist from Indonesia who supervised core drilling and soil analysis for the project. ...
Using an array of techniques to peer underground — including ground-penetrating radar surveys, X-ray tomography, 2D and 3D imaging, core drilling, and excavations — the researchers gradually uncovered several layers of a sizable structure. It spread over an area of around 15 hectares (150,000 square meters) and had been built up over millennia, with layers representing different periods. ...
At the very top were pillars of basalt rocks framing step terraces, with other arrangements of rock columns "forming walls, paths and spaces," the scientists reported at AGU. They estimated this layer to be about 3,000 to 3,500 years old.
Underneath the surface, to a depth of about 10 feet (3 m), was a second layer of similar rock columns, thought to be 7,500 to 8,300 years old. And a third layer, extending 49 feet (15 m) below the surface, is more than 9,000 years old; it could even date to 28,000 years ago, according to the researchers. Their surveys also detected multiple chambers underground, Natawidjaja added.
